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Newt ‘dumbfounded’

On the night of Nov. 6, shortly after President Barack Obama won reelection, Steve Schmidt went on NBC News and called on GOP leaders to “stand up” against the extreme elements in the party that the Republican strategist believes are leading it down the wrong path, even singling out Limbaugh by name. Days later on MSNBC, Joe Scarborough criticized Republicans for taking cues from unnamed pundits “who make tens of millions of dollars engaging in niche marketing” that the host complained provides a misleading picture of the nation’s electorate. Columnist David Frum last week slammed the “conservative entertainment complex” that had “fleeced, exploited and lied to” Republicans, ensuing doom on Election Day.

“These people have made politics a theater for identity politics for a segment of America, rather than a way to solve collective problems,” Frum told POLITICO, referring to conservative media commentators. “What is happening now, and it’s disturbing, is that this complex has sold the idea that conservatives are the real majority in America. That claim has been exposed as false. But they are turning on the country and leading their viewers toward alienation and rejection.”

These were the opening salvos in a larger and escalating civil war playing out now between moderate and far-right-wing pundits. After a disastrous performance in the 2012 elections, the Republican party has come face-to-face with the new demographic reality: “The white establishment is now the minority,” as Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said on election night. Republican support among old, white men can no longer offset their lack of support among women, the young, African-Americans, Asians and the fast-growing Hispanic populations — all key groups in Obama’s victory, some observers say.

But which path to take for the GOP toward broader appeal — doubling down on a core economic and family values conservative message that transcends identity politics or polishing the party’s image by recruiting more women and minority candidates and adopting more moderate positions, particularly on immigration reform — has exposed a sharp rift in the conservative media.

As moderates see it, the “conservative entertainment complex” of talk radio, Fox News, and right-wing blogs has an outsized and potentially fatal influence over the party, alienating Latinos with crass solutions to illegal immigration (“self-deportation”) and insulting women with disrespectful remarks about abortion and birth control.

“If you look at the Republican Party over the last couple of years, it is a tail-wag-the-dog story with the power and the influence of the conservative entertainment complex over elected leadership,” Schmidt, the senior campaign strategist on Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, told POLITICO. “Ronald Reagan would have been appalled by this uncivil tone. Conservatism with a smile has appeal. Conservatism with a snarl is a voter repellent.”

This is really very interesting - I certainly can't claim to know ever "rabid-right-winger" in the country, but the ones I do know, the ones who listen to Limbaugh every day, and have Fox news on constantly - most are unemployed or under employed, or are working low level government jobs.

That means they ARE the one's getting those "government hand outs" they are all complaining about! But they are all - hands down - white!

On the other side, the people I know who are either moderate or left leaning all seem to either be small business owners, or in some other capacity that allows them to command 6 figure salaries. I don't believe I know anyone who is moderate or left leaning that is on any government program. This group consists of a whole variety of people - Asian, Latinos, women, Indian (from India) - in fact, when I think of all the people I work with - we have one white male in the office and he holds one of the lower positions that requires the least skills!

Maybe Limbaugh et. al, are just living in some other world where all these minorities and women are getting hand outs - but it doesn't seem to be the same country I'm living in!!!????

Oh, and as a post script to my previous post - I had to go through 3, let me say that again 3 "white folks" before I could find someone who would make a good office manager! While the previous candidates looked good on paper and interviewed well, they ended up having some of the worst work ethics I had ever seen! And this was for a position paying $50K/year with full benefits! I was finally able able to find a young lady who was absolutely excellent in all respects - and guess what - she was African American. So given everything I've seen in the work force, I can not say these pundits like Limbaugh, who claim minorities are out for hand outs are over whelming the country. In fact, my experience, as a business owner of 10 years is just the opposite. Education shunning "white folks" seem to be the least desirable employees! As long as the GOP shuns education, critical thinking, etc.. I will have no use for those kinds of employees, and neither will many other employers! And for the record - I am white. Granted - female, but white.

I continue to be amazed that the perception on the right is that people want "free stuff". They really don't, they just want a fair shake and a sense that someone respects them individually and as voting blocks.

I want health insurance. I'm 62 and was dumped from Blue Cross after 35 years paying in. Without the ACA I would not be able to get it. It is expensive but I've got it. I really only want it for catastrophic events so I don't wind up giving my estate away to pay my bills. Not giving your estate away should make sense to republicans.

My kids don't want to be straddled with a moralistic crew that tell them they can't have birth control let alone abortions. Nothing complicated about that rejection.

Hispanics don't want to be told they should self deport and they don't want to be told that they are children of a lesser God if they happen to have been born here as the children of parents who did not have green cards.

There are really tons more things at which the GOP fails at, tax fairness being a major one, but the list is so long for the people who have and will continue to turn away that I can't write it all. Fiscal conservatism and states rights are good things. Morality judgements and greed are quite another. So if the right thinks it just wasn't conservative enough as the head of the Susan B Anthony group suggests, get ready to lose a lot of elections.

A real conservative like Rick Santorum would have easily bested Obama. Republican moderates are inherently hypocritical. This can be exploited by the left. Stick to the rules, be conservative, win the next election.

This has been quite obvious to many for a while. The thing is that the far right argument that more conservative candidate would win the election just defies logic. Do they actually believe that even 1% of those who voted for Obama would vote for a far right candidate? They "might" consider a moderate, but an extremist conservative? Never. That in addition to the minority vote, which will be even larger in the next election cycle spells another defeat by even larger margins in 2016... by then the economy will be in much better shape.

The only argument for 2016 for republicans will be "The economy could have recovered faster", but people won't buy that the same policies that causes the crisis would make recovery faster.

Now, if the right moderates and begeins apealing to more people that the christian white voter, they could have a chance... if not, they will remain a minority for a long long time.

"I want health insurance. I'm 62 and was dumped from Blue Cross after 35 years paying in. Without the ACA I would not be able to get it. It is expensive but I've got it. I really only want it for catastrophic events so I don't wind up giving my estate away to pay my bills. Not giving your estate away should make sense to republicans."

Wait a second, so you have the financial resources (your estate) but you want someone to pay for your insurance?

Morons who listen to Limbaugh, Beck and similar fascists indeed are the ones bringing the GOP down. And it is absolutely true that most if not all of them are uneducated, unskilled whites, living on food stamps. Their anger against the government that feeds them stems from the crazy notion that they have been cheated and deprived of things because minorities are somehow getting a free ride in this society. They are the "victims" that Romney was talking about. The only thing Romney failed to mention is that they are members of his own party and that their numbers are nowhere near 47%.

Not quite. Conservative values are consistent. Moderate republicans are not and liberals are about as consistent as the weather. People don't respect people who change their view the moment it is politically expedient.

Such confusion and noise........I thought Barack Obama won because a slim majority of the country agreed with him on his agenda, his policy recommendations, especially on taxing the upper income earners.....Now it is only because the GOP represents a large portion of the population that is conservative?.........Strange.

Then I read on POLITICO that the biggest reason Barack Obama won was because he had a superior GOTV effort and Romney was lead astray on polling and his GOTV effort failed miserably........Technical and strategic issues.....NOT the agenda and policy.......and not conservatives in the GOP alienating those moderates.......

How does this article jive with the fact that Romney won independents?.......How does Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Frum explain independents going for Romney if us awful flat-earthers scared all the "reasonable" people away?

Mitt Romney's loss was multi-factoral, and indeed, many voters in the groups Axelrod targeted have perceptions of conservatives (the GOP by extension) that is based on demagoguery and lies......We have to work, voter by voter with calm and reasonable rhetoric to thwart the lies and demonization that has occured....The left hates people who disagree with their views and will lie and demagogue to achieve their ends......

I for one will not go down to their level and stand ready to defend what I believe in a respectful yet humorous way.

"Now, if the right moderates and begeins apealing to more people that the christian white voter, they could have a chance... if not, they will remain a minority for a long long time."

No, the problem is the media uses a couple dozen state/federally elected right-wing whackos (Akin) to caricature millions of others, and turn the election issue away from the economy to a stupid argument over abortion.

This has been quite obvious to many for a while. The thing is that the far right argument that more conservative candidate would win the election just defies logic. Do they actually believe that even 1% of those who voted for Obama would vote for a far right candidate? They "might" consider a moderate, but an extremist conservative? Never. That in addition to the minority vote, which will be even larger in the next election cycle spells another defeat by even larger margins in 2016... by then the economy will be in much better shape.

The only argument for 2016 for republicans will be "The economy could have recovered faster", but people won't buy that the same policies that causes the crisis would make recovery faster.

Now, if the right moderates and begeins apealing to more people that the christian white voter, they could have a chance... if not, they will remain a minority for a long long time.

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You are mixing up your "conservatives".

A true fiscal conservative is what we need. And a true fiscal conservative may have won.

Social conservatives are the problem... they have somehow co-opted the GOP and caused it to lose sight of its values.

Ok: the republican party left me on the democratic side a while back, so things may have changed. Isn't the republican party and conservatives the same thing? Or it the little GOP tent made up of 2 tents that are even smaller?